Every day, I feature one funny-sounding word from the English language.

Friday, July 3, 2009

An invertebrae, virus or 80s dance?

funny word of the day: worm

Worm can be used as a noun or verb and signify several things, as defined below from Merriam-Webster:

1wormPronunciation: \ˈwərm\Function: nounUsage: often attributiveEtymology: Middle English, from Old English wyrm serpent, worm; akin to Old High German wurm serpent, worm, Latin vermis wormDate: before 12th century1 a : earthworm; broadly : an annelid worm b : any of numerous relatively small elongated usually naked and soft-bodied animals (as a grub, pinworm, tapeworm, shipworm, or slowworm) 2 a : a human being who is an object of contempt, loathing, or pity : wretch b : something that torments or devours from within3 archaic : snake, serpent 4 : helminthiasis —usually used in plural 5 : something (as a mechanical device) spiral or vermiculate in form or appearance: as a : the thread of a screw b : a short revolving screw whose threads gear with the teeth of a worm wheel or a rack c : archimedes' screw; also : a conveyor working on the principle of such a screw 6 : a usually small self-contained and self-replicating computer program that invades computers on a network and usually performs a destructive action— worm·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

2wormFunction: verbDate: 1610intransitive verb: to move or proceed sinuously or insidiouslytransitive verb 1 a : to proceed or make (one's way) insidiously or deviously b : to insinuate or introduce (oneself) by devious or subtle means c : to cause to move or proceed in or as if in the manner of a worm 2 : to wind rope or yarn spirally round and between the strands of (a cable or rope) before serving 3 : to obtain or extract by artful or insidious questioning or by pleading, asking, or persuading —usually used with out of 4 : to treat (an animal) with a drug to destroy or expel parasitic worms

The one definition not in the dictionary is the popular 80s dance called the "worm," which requires someone to lie stomach down on the floor and writhe his or her body to imitate the motion of a real worm. My friend Lou does a killer worm and will demonstrate it upon request.